It’s worth going back over what we did in the Spring of 1123, because… it was a lot. And a lot of it was consequential, there isn’t really such a thing as an inconsequential L5R game, I don’t think. Futile, oh sure. But not inconsequential.
But also, it’s been a while and it helps shake off the dust to put together a timeline of what happened. Good gravy, we got a lot done.
Month of the Hare (April). Togashi Yoshi, Hida Sugi, Akodo Masako and Shinjo Takuya compete, along with several other teenagers, in the Topaz Championship, a prestigious invitational hosted by the Kakita Dueling Academy of Kakita Toshimoko, famed mentor of the current Emperor Hantei XXXVIII (bbuhn). This was a best-of-the-best competition that tested all the arts in which the ideal samurai was supposed to be proficient and it replaced the traditional gempukku ceremony that they’d all been working towards.
Despite some shenanigans to embarrass Toshimoko by a previous year’s sore loser, the youngsters impressed everyone, with Sugi claiming the ultimate win and the ceremonial armour that came with it and Yoshi pulling off second place.
Yoshi chose to return to his life of contemplation in the mountains and Masako – perhaps sensing that the Lion would need lots of bushi, and soon – returned home. Takuya and Sugi took up Ruby Champion Agasha Sumiko‘s offer to join the Emerald Magistracy and off they trotted to the Palace of The Emerald Champion, where promising young samurai are molded into Yoriki, then to become Magistrates. On the way, Takuya (Sean), Sugi (JIM) were partnered up with slightly older Matsu Tezuka (Bryce), Matsu Ono (Rolland) and Doji Koji (Matt).
Travelling to Shiro Yogasha, defeating bandits and fighting off Bakemono and an Ogre, they also – in a more peaceful moment – encountered the ghost of the former Emerald Champion, Doji Satsume. His ghost got them embroiled in some intrigue at Shiro Yogasha so they did some mystery solving while they received their basic training.
The shocking revelation – that Satsume was probably murdered, they shared with their new boss, Sumiko (there being no new Emerald Champ yet) and she was all :/
That Satsume had been in correspondence with a heretical group and committed his massive misgivings about either choice for Imperial heir (one was a dick, the other not enough of a dick) to paper (!) was something that they really dare not speak about. That’s real applecart upsetting talk.
They became Yoriki, got their ceremonial jitte and were assigned to legendary crippled Magistrate Asako Fumihito. From the world outside they hear that the Lion and the Unicorn are now in a state of war, following the breakdown of a proposed marriage alliance.
Month of the Dragon (May) Never ones to do things by half, the Lion’s conflict with the Crane over possession of Toshi Ranbo really comes to a head when the Crane Champion puts an arrow through the skull of the Lion champion during the siege. Widespread clan war is looking increasingly likely.
Training done, the yoriki were dispatched to Slow Tide Harbour to investigate the disappearance of wayward Otomo Hiroshige, but first stopped to resolve a problem at Dry Path Village, a small settlement plagued by a fire kami after the old forge was started up without the correct rites.
The whole gang learns to hate the Turtle minor clan as they investigate missing samurai and discover a plot by a Maho Tsukai. While they do not catch the Blood Witch, they vanquish her henchman and rescue a bunch of samurai. They also rock the Turtle’s boat a bit too much which causes in a legal duel (all duels are legal, but this was to settle a legal matter) that Ono won, then a party (awkwardly thrown by the Kasuga relatives of Kasuga Yumiko that Ono had just killed) and then a personal duel (all duels are personal, but this was because Koji had wound someone up who had tried to wind him up) which Koji also won. Kasuga Naru survived, but is missing quite a lot of his jaw and retired to a life of contemplation and not further embarrassing his family at a monastery up north.
They returned to Shiro Yogasha for reassignment and started receiving word of the war in and around the Lion borders.
Shiro Yogasha: Another absolutely banging map by Francesca Baerald.
Month of the Serpent (June) They were able to actually settle in a bit at Shiro Yogasha and get more training. They received orders to go to the Kintani Valley and attend a wedding at Kyotei Castle. I think maybe at this point we said farewell to Akodo Ono, who also felt the pull of war and left for the front(s) and Kaito Rin joined.
They attended the wedding, stopped a Scorpion spoiler plot (naturally) and fought a dispossessed Lion who sought to upset the wedding and regain (for her family) Kyotei Castle. Their decisions had impact here and it was kind of close who they were going to back. But eventually they backed the Phoenix/Crane marriage (even though the Tsume-no-Daidoji Takashi is a real dweeb, his new wife Shiba Itsuyo was pretty great) and backed that up against a skilled opponent who really made her mark.
Tezuka took a real doing and Sugi lost an eye, but they held the ground at the end of the day and the would be usurper Damasu-no-Akodo Maeda had to give up her dream and fled, swordless and dispossessed. For their heroics and for catching the obviously very misguided lone-wolf Scorpion infiltrator, the charming Soshi Ozuro said he’d set Sugi up with a cool new eye (he did!) when they got to Otosan Uchi.
Month of the Horse (July) They were running to Otosan Uchi with a ticket to the world’s toughest competition in town: The Emerald Championship, where they watched new Lion Clan Champion Akodo Toturi beat Bayushi Aramoro. Fun way to find out who your boss is!
Fumihito sent them off on a lead to find the sickle knife wielding Maho Tsukai in the Douro Mori, in the newish Wasp Clan lands. They found that the witch had cut a deal with some Oni, had a horrible time with some Oni and then proceeded to the Castle of the Wasp.
Fumihito had a bunch of leads on someone killing and questioning people with Hiruma ancestry that would send them south but first they had to adjudicate a dispute between the Wasp and the Scorpion regarding a shifting river border and a village that was supposed to be on one side of the river but was now on the other.
My idea for this was “Ponyo, but make it politically awkward”.
They encountered a talented peasant boy who had made friends with a Water spirit and somewhat misinterpreted the grumblings of the villagers. They came up with the novel solution of – I believe, because my notes really drop off at this point – judging that the village belonged to the Wasp, but that the boy belonged to the Scorpion, BUT that he should be sent north to Otosan Uchi as a gift to the Imperial Court from the Scorpion. A solution where no-one got exactly what they wanted but everyone saved face, which is exactly what they are there for.
Across the Uebe Marshes they splashed and they dealt with a family of swamp-dwelling trolls, Takuya offering them a new life in the north (if I remember correctly) and away from the encroaching humans. *I forgot that they also went to Tangled Path Village, and encountered some Crane-embarrassing secrets*.
Month of the Goat (August) They were getting steamed down in Crab country, chasing down leads and the Maho Tsukai who had found a way to get to Daylight Castle, the lost ancestral seat of the Hiruma, way out in the Shadowlands. They chased her out there, dealt with the horrors of the Fu Leng’s minions, befriended some unexpected allies, retrieved the Hiruma Clan sword and bested the Maho Tsukai.
Honestly, any excuse to keep staring at these…
They returned to the Kaiu Wall, and were poked, prodded and examined for signs of Taint, by Rokugan’s terrifying Kabuki Juggalos, the Kuni. They were then held in polite captivity while the Crab decides what to do with them.
Fantasy Flight Modules:
The Topaz Championship – I though this was a great on-rails introduction to the game. Focusing on the feel of the game rather than an exhaustive run down of the rules.
In the Palace of the Emerald Champion – Even better, to be honest. I liked that it slides the characters into the story of what’s going on in the Empire in a way that puts them in at a pretty high level. What the Emperor’s right-hand man thought of the heirs to the throne?! That’s high level!
Slow Tide Harbour – I don’t know if the point of this was to get people to hate the Kasuga, but it worked. The combination of investigation, combat and socializing was really good and this was the first time the courtier really shone: Matt’s Doji Koji manipulated an antagonist perfectly.
Wedding at Kyotei – As above, Combat, Investigation and Socializing make for a well rounded adventure. Because this was a Gencon scenario it also hits all the main themes of the game well.
The Highwayman – I had to adapt this from a ronin-centric adventure and it was fine. It just didn’t grab me after the first FF scenarios.
Mask of the Oni/Knotted Tails – This is maybe the most ambitious of the FF scenarios we’ve done so far and I thought it was fine. Didn’t grab me the way the others did. The trail of the Maho Tsukai was started way back in Slow Tide Harbour and I think they could have woven the two together more.
Bits I made up:
Dry Path Village _ I wanted something that put them among peasants and also that involved them in the spiritual balancing act that goes on in Rokugan, where spirits must be appeased and respected. It was something that was missing from early scenarios (because no-one chose the Shugenja character in the beginner game). Went pretty well for my first attempt.
Hanging around in Otosan Uchi – This was vamping while they got from one location to another, but Toturi’s tournament is one of my favourite parts of the fiction FF released for this, so why not have them be right there? They are important people!
Disputed River Village – This was just an idea I’d picked up from the One Shot podcast, with a few extra things thrown in. The supernatural in this isn’t actually all that important, it was how they dealt with the people dealing with the supernatural that was important. Their solution surprised me, but was well thought out and kind of showed that the players understood their power and role without prodding from me (I hope). So that was rad.
Uebe Marshes – Although it had been touched on, this was mostly a way of reintroducing the Perfect Land Sect and their influence on peasants. The trolls were incidental. It was so-so.
Tangled Path Village – this is just an existing setting that I thought was funny: a dumping ground for Crane who just can’t cut the mustard. The action itself wasn’t well thought out, probably my least favourite thing I came up with, despite the setting that I like.